Laraine Davis, a native of St. Louis, alumnus of Maryville, will serve as vice president for community and government relations. Davis, a former Wells Fargo Advisors executive, is a highly respected community and government relations professional. In addition to leading the university’s community and government relations efforts, Davis will also provide executive oversight for the […]
Posted inLiving It
Fox Theatre and Opera Theatre to reopen a year after pandemic forced doors to close
Two of the St. Louis region’s most prominent arts organizations are preparing to reopen their doors after a year of canceled shows during the coronavirus pandemic. The Fabulous Fox Theatre will reopen to audiences April 17 with a comedy show and concert series that will feature local bands and stand-up comedians. But many people will […]
Posted inBusiness news
Nike expands commitment to community organizations
Athletic wear giant Nike has announced a major expansion of its Black Community Commitment program by granting $250,000 to four St. Louis-based nonprofit organizations that work toward economic empowerment, education and social justice for African Americans. The St. Louis grants, part of a five-city expansion of an effort that launched in February with grants awarded […]
Posted inNational news
Protests against the Sunday police killing of Daunte Wright continue
On Monday, hundreds of people protested at the police station in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota for a second night, over the police killing of Daunte Wright, an unarmed 20 year old Black man, on Sunday, April 11, 2021. The police chief said that 26 year police veteran Kim Potter fatally shot Wright accidentally mistaking her gun for […]
Posted inGuest columnists
Justice is on Trial in the George Floyd Murder Case
Justice is on trial in the United States. The murder trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has begun, ten months after George Floyd died in the street with Chauvin’s knee on his neck. Americans, especially Black Americans, are watching closely to see if justice will be done. The beginning of the trial made me […]
Posted inBusiness news
Shields heads unit at Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden appoints Amanda Shields as Director of Diversity and Inclusion. Shields will spearhead efforts at the Garden to ensure all ongoing work is inclusive across all its platforms. She will be tasked with engaging all stakeholders and welcoming new audiences, leading towards a more equitable and inclusive community in the Garden and across […]
Posted inGuest columnists
The Status Quo Failures of the STL 2030 Jobs Plan
As leaders of organizations that are committed to racial justice and whose work seeks to counteract myriad forms of neglect, abuse, and systemic oppression in St. Louis, we are keenly interested in any plan that promises jobs, economic investment, and inclusive growth for our region. We believe what ails us most are longstanding problems of […]
Posted inHealth news
Taking it to Alzheimer’s
Pat Brown will fight the disease to the end Jacob R. Simburger, communications manager for the local Alzheimer’s Association, was anxious to share Pat Brown’s story. April 18 is the start of Volunteer Week and Simburger could think of no better person to highlight than Brown. Brown, Simburger wrote to The American, has been a […]
Posted inLetters to the editor
A call demanding cybersafety and cybersecurity education
From Hillary Clinton’s email debacle to Facebook’s data breaches, we’ve all heard about cybersecurity failures in the news. The National Institute of Standards and Technology states that cybercrime is estimated to cost around $6 trillion per year by 2021, making strengthening our cyber education a must. Unfortunately, the US government has woefully fallen short of […]